A Life of One's Own: Three Gifted Women and the Men They Married

by Joan Dash

Focuses on the backgrounds and careers of Margaret Sanger, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Maria Geoppert-Mayer and the impact of their work, ambitions, and abilities on their marriages

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Joan Dash is a prizewinning author of biographies for young adults. Her early works, including A Life of One's Own: Three Gifted Women and the Men They Married, Summoned to Jerusalem: The Life of Henrietta Szold, and The Triumph of Discovery: Women Scientists Who Won the Nobel Prize, participate in the growing movement to bring to light the achievements of notable women in history. In The Triumph of Discovery, for example, Dash puts the spotlight on four women who have won the Nobel Prize since 1960; at the time of the book's creation, only ten Nobels had ever been awarded to women, including two to Marie Curie. Dash was praised for clearly elucidating the nature of these scientists' contributions, as well as placing their personal and professional life experiences in the context of their times. Perhaps most importantly, "the author communicates the excitement and satisfaction of a life in science," remarked Zena Sutherland in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book was written in 1973 and covers 3 women's lives.

Margaret Sanger pioneer of birth control. In the early 1950's Margaret and Mrs. Stanley McCormick, wife of founder of International Harvester Company visit John Rock and Gregory Pincus and fund their research and development of the birth control pill.
In 1917, Ethel Byrne was the 1st woman to be force fed in jail in America being jailed for giving advice on birth control to women.

Edna St. Vincent Millay, who was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1922.

Maria Goeppert Mayer, who was the 1st woman to win the Nobel Prize for theoretical physics. Maria was taught by Max Born and regularly worked at University of Chicago with Fermi without receiving a salary until 1959 when University of California offered both her husband Joe and her full professorships with both receiving salaries.
Also mentioned is Agnes Pockels who in 1881 in her home in Gottingen, Germany discovered surface physics. Agnes did not attend university as she was looking after her parents. Agnes reads about Lord Rayleigh in Engeland doing work and publishing his results. Agnes writes to Lord Rayleigh, and he gets her work published. In 1898 Germany was proud to accept her discoveries in their publications.

This was a introductory, comprehensive view of women and their trials in society as successful women. The book discussed these women's husbands as well and how supportive they were.

I had never even heard of Maria Goeppert Mayer before and want to read more about her story.

It is worth the read and these women were brave to continue their careers in spite of the disapproval they faced.